Workers' Compensation

Workers' compensation is a system that provides benefits to employees who are injured or become ill due to their job duties. It covers medical expenses and lost wages for workers who are unable to return to work due to a work-related injury or illness.

Person with cast on left hand fills out Work Injury Claim form.

Workers' Compensation Programs & Services

Workers Compensation Fee Schedule

Workers' compensation fee schedules are a set of guidelines that show the maximum fees that are allowed to be charged for medical services provided to injured workers under the workers' compensation system in Pennsylvania.

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Publications

Here is a list of publications about workplace safety, labor laws, rules for different jobs, and what workers need to know.

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Workers' Compensation Office of Adjudication (WCOA)

The WCOA is a division in the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. It oversees the workers' compensation adjudication process. It assigns judges to handle disputes about workers' compensation claims. These include: who can get benefits, stopping or changing them, and the fairness of medical treatment.

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Workers' Compensation Claim Information

Workers' Compensation Claim Information is all about the records and details related to injuries or illnesses that happen at work.

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Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Automation and Integration System (WCAIS)

The Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Automation and Integration System (WCAIS) is a computer system used by the state's Bureau of Workers' Compensation. This page has tools, tips, and guides about the Workers' WCAIS.

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Health & Safety (HandS)

The new HandS system gives insurers and self-insured employers the ability to enter, copy, print and store their electronically-filed reports, and includes up-front editing of data where possible, as well as prompting and definitions of data.

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A Brief History of Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Law

In 1915, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted the Pennsylvania Workmen's (Workers') Compensation Act (act). The statute charges the Department of Labor & Industry (department) and the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (bureau) with carrying out the administrative and appeal obligations defined in the act and specifies compensation for employees who are injured as a result of employment without regard to fault. Amendments eventually merged the compensation for injuries and occupational diseases into this act. The statute defines the benefits available to Pennsylvania workers, the conditions under which benefits are available and the procedures for obtaining them.

The workers' compensation system protects employees and employers. Employees receive medical treatment and are compensated for lost wages associated with work-related injuries and disease, and employers provide for the cost of such coverage while being protected from direct lawsuits by employees.

Workers' compensation coverage is mandatory for most employers under Pennsylvania law. Employers who do not have workers' compensation coverage may be subject to lawsuits by employees and to criminal prosecution by the commonwealth.

Some employers are exempted from workers' compensation coverage. Exemptions include: people covered under other workers' compensation acts, such as railroad workers, longshoremen and federal employees; domestic servants (coverage is optional); agricultural workers who work fewer than 30 days or earn less than $1,200 in a calendar year from one employer; and employees who have requested, and been granted, exemption due to religious beliefs or their executive status in certain corporations.

In Pennsylvania, employers can obtain workers' compensation insurance through a licensed insurance carrier or the State Workers' Insurance Fund. In addition, employers can apply to the bureau to seek approval to self-insure their liability. Self-insurance is granted by the bureau based on criteria established by the act and the department.

Employees are covered for the entire period of their employment. Therefore, coverage begins the first day on the job. Injuries or diseases caused or aggravated by employment are covered under workers' compensation, regardless of the employee's previous physical condition.

Workers' Compensation Legal Information